Seeley Elementary gets off
to good start, new students
from construction families

September 27, 2001
Seeley Swan Pathfinder
Seeley Lake, Montana

by Karen Lyncolnfor the Pathfinder

"We hit the ground running and had a great opening day
at school," said Bill Hyde, Superintendent of the Seeley
Lake Elementary School, to the School's Board of Trustees at the
September 11th meeting. Hyde explained that the first week of
school had gone well and that the kids seemed ready to come back
when they arrived at school on Tuesday, September 4th.

There were some problems getting the 7th graders back to a
central place before classes let out for the day, but teachers
and administrators are working to resolve that issue. School buses
were running without scheduling problems, and behavior problems
on buses have decreased. Diane Bourne, the owner/driver of the
buses that serve Seeley Lake Elementary, sent home a letter with
students discussing safety rules and asking for parents' assistance
in communicating those rules to their kids in order to have a
safe and enjoyable year.

"We're blessed with some new students this fall who help
us appreciate the diversity in our country," said Hyde. Several
students whose parents are installing fiber-optics cable along
Highway 200 have enrolled at the school. School enrollment is
now at 232, 10 more than last year.

The Board reviewed the agenda for Tuesday's meeting, and in
light of the tragic events that had occurred earlier that day
in New York and Washington, tabled a number of agenda items.

The Board did review the Student Handbook for 2001-2002. "This
handbook is based on the assumption that kids are responsible
for their behavior," said Hyde.

"We need to follow the approved procedures," noted
Board Member Pam Pittman as she reviewed sections of the handbook.
Hyde noted that any changes required because of that review would
be included in the Limelight and distributed to
parents.

The Board also reviewed the school's proposal to the Ortenberg
Foundation for funding of special programs. New funding requests
for this year include purchasing notebook computers for a wireless
computer laboratory and purchasing global positioning system units
for use in Local Area Ecology and History exercises.

Board members attending the September meeting include Pam Pittman,
Loren Rose, and Mark Williams. The next meeting is scheduled for
Tuesday, October 9th at 6:00 pm.